In the lead up to the release of 2012's Prometheus information on the movies over-ambitious script and its ambiguous narrative were unknown to fans eager to learn of director Ridley Scotts plans for his much-publicised prequel to his 1979 classic science fiction horror movie Alien. A movie the British director had promised ever since recording the commentary for the DVD and Blu-Ray re-releases of Alien.
In the many months preceding the movie's June 2012 release various movie stills, clips and trailers were released feeding wild speculation among the franchise's many fans. Here is a small collection of some of the crazy ideas fans thought would appear in the long-awaited semi-prequel.
#1 Urns become Eggs
Probably inspired by some of he concept art from the 1979 original, this theory suggested that the leaking urn's seen in the first trailer were actually metamorphosizing into the familiar eggs from later installments. Fans of this theory proposed that apparatus that David removed from one of the urns (which was doctored to appear darker in later trailers and the theatrical release), would metamorphose into a Facehugger.
#2 Fifield becomes a Xenomorph
Throughout the release of the trailers the creature that Fifield (Sean Harris) becomes after his exposure the movies deadly black goo changed in appearance multiple times from a tall, gangly, disproportionate creature to the burnt and deformed zombie Fifield seen in the theatrical release. The characters original mutated appearance led to the speculation that he was becoming a Xenomorph.
#3 Holloway becomes the Engineer
In the first trailer for Prometheus, we briefly see Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) screaming in pain with whitened skin and black tendrilled veins. The characters appearance in this brief scene fired the flames of speculation that in that scene Holloway was metamorphosizing into the tall, pale-skinned Engineer seen later in the same trailer.
#4 David becomes a Xenomorph
There was no evidence for this theory in the trailers, but fans believed that the synthetic nature of Davids character when combined with the movies mysterious black goo, would result in the birth of the bio-mechanical Xenomorph as we saw it in Alien. So prevalent is this theory that fans believe it may still be a possibility for the forthcoming sequel Alien: Covenant.
#5 Prometheus was a direct prequel to Alien
Partly caused by mismarketing and partly caused by not emitting enough of Jon Spaihts original script, many fans believed that Prometheus was a direct prequel to Alien, believing the crashed Juggernaut spacecraft to be the same one seen in the 1979 original. In Jon Spaihts script this was the case, but the crashing of the Juggernaut was not amended enough to show that this was no longer the case, causing the confusion in average movie audiences.
Upon release Prometheus polarized audiences equally, with fans of the movie praising the visual magnificence of director Ridley Scotts vision, and critics criticizing the rushed, predictable narrative and one-dimensional characters. Love it or loathe it there is no denying that Prometheus opened up the possibility for the Alien franchise to take a new, fresh direction parallel to that seen in the Alien franchise. Unfortunately, it seems with Alien: Covenant that director Ridley Scott has been pressured into producing a more traditional "Alien Movie" rather than the dark epic tale of gods, demons, and mankind's origins as was promised. Will Paradise ever see the light of day? Will we ever see the Xenomorph and Engineer homeworlds? Will fans ever learn of the outcome of Shaw's (Noomi Rapace) quest for answers?
If you're a fan of Alien / Prometheus and would like to discuss Alien: Covenant and its upcoming sequel with other like-minded fans, be sure to join in our Alien: Covenant forum! Ranked the #1 Prometheus forum back in 2012 and reigning as the web's top Alien: Covenant fan site, it's a great place to discuss the upcoming Prometheus sequels, dissect details from every trailer and engage with other fans just like you.
The future of Alien
The Alien franchise is taking a dramatic turn at 20th Century Studios, now owned by Disney. Currently there are two major Alien projects in development - a new Alien TV series by Noah Hawley and a new, stand-alone Alien movie being directed by Fede Alvarez. Both of which will be taking the franchise in a new direction - moving away from the Alien prequel direction Ridley Scott set out to pursue back in 2012.
Treat yourself to some Alien Merchandise!
As we await the next Alien movie, now is a great time to build your Alien collection and expand your Alien-themed wardrobe. Check out some products below and click here for even more options!
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